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<title>The Bird in the Kaleidoscope by rising_goat_defeats_striking_dragon</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28134225">The Bird in the Kaleidoscope</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rising_goat_defeats_striking_dragon/pseuds/rising_goat_defeats_striking_dragon'>rising_goat_defeats_striking_dragon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys &amp; Sophism (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Heavy Angst, Or don't, based off of dialogue, but expect twists, i'm not going to spoil in the tags, that's more fun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:48:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,373</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28134225</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rising_goat_defeats_striking_dragon/pseuds/rising_goat_defeats_striking_dragon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A what-if scenario based on Belladonna and Kieran's dialogue in 72. </p>
<p>Lauren never really stood a chance.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Bird in the Kaleidoscope</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Alternate ending to YEET LAUREN published on the Fandom Scythe discord server.<br/>Please enjoy.<br/>Comments make me happy. Let me know what you thought!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>They tore the sack off her head with a force that sent her vision spinning. </p>
<p>Lauren’s eyelids were crusted together, her skin grimy and sticky with sweat. Sounds reverberated around her, bouncing around muffled and cottony in her ears. She shifted, felt the sharp ache of the chafing wire around her wrists, the crusted blood in the spaces between her fingers. Around her ankles wire had rubbed through her stockings, filling the insides of her shoes with blood. </p>
<p>Lauren lifted her head.</p>
<p>A coliseum crowded with people, Phantom Scythe members, Lauren realized, rose up before her. A sick feeling of dread crept into her gut. These were people she could have passed by on the street. They all looked so normal, if not worse for the wear. They sneered down at her, lips curled back like animals. Savages. Some were laughing, others were observing with a quiet intensity that had her joints locking. The stale air in the carved out hollow of the chamber was thick with a predatory tension that Lauren didn’t want to focus on.</p>
<p>Lauren spit, tried to shift the saliva-stiffened gag out of her mouth. Her breaths were coming in fast and shallow, her heart pounding wildly. Why was she here? <em> Who </em> brought her here? And what were they going to do to her?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The chair disappeared from under her. Two pairs of arms tugged her upwards into an uncomfortable position; knees bent and ankles tied, arms bound behind her back. She bit back a groan, tried to twist her head to see who was holding her. </p>
<p>Light flashed across her eyes; the man on the left grabbed her chin and twisted her head sharply to face forward. He said, voice gruff, “Eyes forward, head down.”</p>
<p>Lauren blinked, and, unable to do anything else, let herself be led onto the stage. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The howling and jeering of the audience grew louder as she reached the center and saw what awaited her.</p>
<p>A pitch black hole, a pit, so deep Lauren couldn’t see the bottom from her angle. She doubted she would be able to see the bottom at the edge either. The men holding her let go and retreated back to the entrance. Lauren, still bound with wire, grit her teeth and stepped backwards, trying to keep as much distance from the pit as possible. Her steps were indignant little hops, further cutting the wire into her flesh. Claps and mocking hoots rang from the audience. Lauren shuddered, circled around to take in the full room. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Kieran!  </em>
</p>
<p>Lauren’s heart lurched. He was leaning against a wall, tucked away in a corner on the far right side of the room. Beside him was the golden viper wench, Belladonna something. </p>
<p>Belladonna’s eyes seemed inhumanly bright when she caught Lauren staring. That same repulsive intensity she’d seen earlier was confounded in her gaze. A smile like a cut split her cheeks, showed off sparkling ivory teeth; the closest thing to fangs Lauren had ever seen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But Kieran. </p>
<p>Kieran was  watching her, calm, empty, blue eyes dim like the harbor at night. One hand was hidden in his pocket, the other resting atop his sword. </p>
<p>She sought him out with her eyes, pleading. What are you doing? What are you waiting for? </p>
<p>He met her eyes with an even stare. </p>
<p>Light flooded onto her from above, and Lauren, in childish desperation, let herself imagine it was an angel sent from above to steal her away from this mess.</p>
<p>The lights flickered, then settled loud and bright onto her. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She still could not see the bottom of the pit. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The roar of the audience was reaching a dizzying high. Spit flew into the arena, and garbage soon followed. An apple core grazed her shoulder. Lauren bowed her head, tried to make herself a smaller target. It took the edge off of the uncomfortable hunch she was forced into anyway. </p>
<p>Between the curtain of her hair, Lauren watched Kieran. </p>
<p>Any time now. . .</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The squeal of a microphone rang throughout the amphitheatre. Lauren flinched at the pitch. </p>
<p>“Esteemed ladies and gentlemen of the Phantom Scythe, we have a show for you today.”</p>
<p>The announcer was of indistinguishable sex, and Lauren couldn’t identify where it was coming from. </p>
<p>“Too long we have been oppressed under these so-called noblemen! How long have you, dearest comrades, waited for change? How long have you waited for equality?”</p>
<p>The crowd was shrieking, standing up in their seats. Fists pumped into the air, yelling for justice. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Justice. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lauren’s eyes were blown wide, a heavy pressure building behind them. What is he waiting for. . .?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kieran’s jaw clenched, but he kept his gaze on her. His eyebrows were furrowed now, but Lauren could not glean anything else from him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And now,” the announcer’s voice resounded, “We take a tithe of our own.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The men from before reentered the arena. On the opposite side, another man and a woman prowled closer. They surrounded her, trapping her between them and the pit. </p>
<p>Lauren hopped, backwards, towards the pit, and felt her heart skip. Her ankle twisted underneath her, almost sending her toppling. She hunched further, keeping her center of gravity. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kieran’s fist held the hilt of his sword in an iron grip. Lauren could see the clenching of his teeth from where she hunched, and realized he had never intended to save her. The realization was an icy shock, and Lauren’s eyes flew open in fear. The pressure behind her eyes reached a peak, and she sniffed, trying to hide her tears. Saliva leaked out from her mouth, sticking grossly to the cloth. </p>
<p>There was nothing Lauren could do when the four of them grabbed her. The woman tore the cloth out of her mask. Lauren slammed her head into hers, spitting harshly. </p>
<p>The woman let out a cry, loosening her grip on Lauren. Laughter and cheers rang up at her attack. The three remaining men latched onto her arms, tugging her towards the pit.</p>
<p>Lauren thrashed wildly, cries turning into panicked whimpers as her feet fought for traction on the ground. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And the entire time, Kieran kept his eyes on her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lauren opened her mouth to call to him, to beg.</p>
<p>But the ground underneath her aching feet disappeared. Her breath caught in her throat, and she fell.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her hair looked like blood in the air, Kieran thought as she disappeared. If it weren’t for the frantic rapture of the crowd, Kieran knew that she would have hit the bottom with a dull thud. It would have echoed loudly in the amphitheater. Maybe she would have survived, if she weren’t already half dead by the time she arrived in this hellhole. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And even if, by some miracle, she did survive. Well, it wasn’t as if anyone was going to check.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>That night, in the shadow of the moon, Kieran drew the body of a woman mid-flight. He hung it next to his other drawings of her; in bed, bare back exposed in sleep, him lying beside her with his drawing pad and pencil. </p>
<p>An embrace, warm and innocent, hands locked around his back, head tucked into his chest.</p>
<p>A pretty face flushed pink from the winter chill. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shaking hands placed the pencil down.</p>
<p>Picked at the dirt under his nails. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was red behind his eyes, a kaleidoscope of memories. Her hair, vibrant and full like a rose in full bloom, sprayed with the mist of blood after a kill. His sharer of secrets. And the deepest shade of it, scarlets and vermilions wound with gold in the light, was her wild hair the moment before it was swallowed by the darkness beneath her.</p>
<p>Now they were both at the end of their lines, teetering on the precipice above the abyss. Fate bound them together by strings, and it was Kieran’s turn to fall after her. He felt the tug, the inevitable force that would topple him over the edge.</p>
<p>And there was a sword at his throat, steeped in blood of hundreds. The minute scratches, pores in the metal, all full to the brim. It kissed the pounding vein in his throat, where Lauren had done the same. He closed his eyes, and pretended the cold metal was her lips.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He drew back the blade. </p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
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